CVE-2014-3097 in Tivoli Federated Identity Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager (TFIM) 6.2.0 before 6.2.0-TIV-TFIM-IF0015, 6.2.1 before 6.2.1-TIV-TFIM-IF0007, and 6.2.2 before 6.2.2-TIV-TFIM-IF0011 allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3097 represents a critical open redirect flaw within IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager versions 6.2.0 through 6.2.2. This security weakness resides in the federated identity management system that enables single sign-on capabilities across multiple applications and services. The vulnerability specifically affects the redirect mechanisms used during authentication and authorization processes, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's trust relationships. The issue manifests when the system fails to properly validate redirect URLs, allowing attackers to craft malicious links that appear to originate from legitimate trusted domains while actually directing users to attacker-controlled websites.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the redirect functionality of TFIM's authentication modules. When users attempt to access protected resources or navigate through the federated identity workflow, the system processes redirect parameters without sufficient sanitization or verification of destination URLs. This flaw aligns with CWE-601, which specifically addresses open redirect vulnerabilities where web applications redirect users to unvalidated external URLs. The vulnerability exists across multiple patch levels of the 6.2.x series, indicating it was a persistent issue in the codebase that required targeted remediation efforts. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially formatted URLs that include malicious redirect parameters, leveraging the trust relationship between the federated identity provider and relying party applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple phishing attacks, creating significant risks for organizations relying on TFIM for identity federation. When successfully exploited, the vulnerability enables attackers to conduct sophisticated social engineering campaigns where victims are redirected to convincing replica websites designed to harvest credentials, personal information, or financial data. The attack vector is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users trust the federated identity system and may not scrutinize URLs carefully when redirected from what appears to be a legitimate corporate domain. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566, which encompasses social engineering tactics including phishing and spearphishing attacks that leverage trusted relationships. Organizations may experience credential theft, data breaches, and compromised user sessions as a direct result of this vulnerability being exploited in the wild.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patches for each affected version, specifically the interim fixes 6.2.0-TIV-TFIM-IF0015, 6.2.1-TIV-TFIM-IF0007, and 6.2.2-TIV-TFIM-IF0011. Network-level controls such as URL filtering and web application firewalls can provide additional protection by monitoring and blocking suspicious redirect patterns. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual redirect behavior in authentication logs and establish user awareness training to recognize potentially malicious redirects. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in security-sensitive components and underscores the need for regular security assessments of identity management systems. Organizations should also consider implementing additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact if redirects are successfully exploited, as this vulnerability primarily enables initial access rather than direct privilege escalation within the system.